Archive for August, 2007|Monthly archive page

2pm 7.6 miles in 1 hr 2 minsWeek to date mileage 22 milesMonth to date mileage 132Average weekly rate 30 milesAverage monthly rate 130Year to date 1038Lifetime 10631At present BT and Tiscali are apparently working to improve and enhance internet connections where I live. The disruption is set to last a week and my access will be intermittent. This was bad timing as today I had planned to work from home and needed to log on to files from work but couldn’t!So I headed out for a run over a regular route which takes me up the Horsecroft road through Hardwick and Horsecroft. Today I seemed to record a very quick time of around about 2 minutes faster than normal for this route. I didn’t feel as if I had run any differently or set out to run faster than normal. May be a one off fluke or perhaps recent training is beginning to pay,time will tell.

The Bury to Clare footpath section was hard and dry. Sometimes this can be wet and ankle deep in mud. I have had a shoe sucked off in mud here before!

As I needed to be away from the track sharply I drove to the sports centre. I still put in a 5 lap warm up before the session.

Tonight we ran 9 x 2.30 seconds at a slightly faster than 10k pace with a 90 second recovery in between. After the first 5 we switched to run the last 4 in the opposite direction. Other than this change of direction it was really just one set.

The coach announced that that the summer track season was over and that we would be gradually running longer intervals in the weeks ahead.

After just a 1 lap warm down it was time to head of to cineworld for La Vie En Rose a film about the life of Edith Piaf. A French sub title film and one of the best this year after the many blockbusters which have disappointed or been a bit repetitive such as the Pirates of the Caribbean .

8.30am 10.2 miles in 1hr 26 mins 8 secondsWeek to date mileage 10 milesMonth to date mileage 120Average weekly rate 30 milesAverage monthly rate 131Year to date 1026Lifetime 10619After a poor week last wk when I only managed 19 miles and just 3 runs , the bank holiday offered an opportunity to put in a good long run. The weather being warm I set off early for a run out to Timworth.My run took me along Beetons way , past the Sports centre and the Upper Schools County and Benedict’s. After the Tollgate Pub the Thetford Road takes you into Fornham St Martin. Opposite the church is the start of a track known as the drifts. After crossing over the A134 the Farm Drift is a long straight pathway which takes you past Hall Farm and a number of flint cottages and a newly built conference centre.Eventually there is a sharp left turning slightly uphill past a lake along the Clay Drift. This is good farming country with fields and the sky dominating the view with few houses. This emerges on the B1106 at Barton Bottom. I took a left and and a first right and headed into the village of Timworth.

I retraced my steps tuning in 44.13 and returning in a quicker time. This is good running mostly off road and as long as you don’t mind solitude then this is a recommended route.

I started my run with a couple of laps of a circular run which I see a lot of runners use. Being a circular run you can join this route where ever you like. I decided to time my second lap of the course which I have measured on mapmyrun as being 2.21 miles. I ran a slow 18.33 for the run which is 8.24 pace. I felt slow and I was . It is a fairly hilly run up Vinery Road and Hardwick Lane is fairly undulating. But no it was a slow run but at least it gives me something to beat next time.After this I had a run besides the River Lark and into the Abbey Gardens

I haven’t run this course since May when the oilseed rape was bright yellow over these fields and the hedgerows were full of spring promise with hawthorn blossom in full force.Now the fields have been harvested and there is a bare earthy field which has been ploughed. My run here is up and down hill. With the recent rains the ground was sticky and slippery and I lost my footing once or twice.

Today I reached a personal landmark as I completed 1000 miles for the year. Not up in the league of marathon runners such as Paula Radcliffe who runs around 120-140 miles a week but that is her job!I chose to run at Alpheton a small village between Bury St Edmunds and Suffolk. Those unfamiliar with the village will recall at least that there is a large bend in the road here and usually a lorry pull in and burger van serving drinks and snacks. It was here I stopped the car and headed off along a track with the church of St Peter and St Paul at Lavenham very prominent in the distance.The weather was gloomy and autumnal and disappointing for this time of year. My pathway soon ceased when I reached a notice to indicate by approval of the Secretary of State that the pathway had been closed. With no alternative and unsure whether i should ignore i decided I better return to the village.I then ran along the A134 around the busy bend which isn’t a great thing to do but thankfully only a short stretch and then I was heading out along Church Lane to Alpheton Church which like its neighbor at Lavenham is also called St Peter and St Paul. The road ends here at the church and at Alpheton Hall and there are plenty of warnings to the general public to keep out so I continued on a farm path slightly up hill to Alpheton Hall Wood. There is a pathway around the wood but at one end the path continues over a stile with some lively horses. I wimped out of this not wanting to run though a field of horses.

I returned back to Alpheton village and the car which was welcome in the dim light.

9am 6.4 miles in 53 mins 10 secsWeek to date mileage 36 milesMonth to date mileage 91Average weekly rate 30.2 milesAverage monthly rate 131Year to date 997Lifetime 10590I decided on a run around the town centre of Bury St Edmunds. There is always so much to see and after a good week’s mileage this was easy work.My run took me around the Abbey Gardens, I like the height added by the gardener to some of the flower borders. In the early part of the last century when entrance to the Botanical gardens was chargeable I imagine the gardens were more like Kew and some of the photographs give an impression of a jungle with lots of tall plants.Over the bridge over the River Lark I ran two laps of the circular walk which takes you around No Mans meadow and the Haberden Rugby Club.

Many years ago I worked at the Haberden Service station before self service pumps were in operation. I believe 4 gallons were £5 and folks did ask for a fill up, a fiver’s worth or so many gallons. The pumps didn’t operate then in litres. I was still at school so this must have been around 1977/78.I can recall my hours on a Sunday were 9am to 7pm on my own with no official break though it could be quiet at times.

8am 7.5 miles in 1 hr 2 mins 24 secsWeek to date mileage 30 milesMonth to date mileage 85Average weekly rate 30.1 milesAverage monthly rate 131Year to date 990Lifetime 10583A wet blowy morning as I decided to run out and back to the small hamlet called Pinford End which is really one end of Hawstead village. I take the Horsecroft road near by the busy traffic lights at the Spread Eagle and run up hill out of Bury.Running out of Bury you pass Hardwick House and Horsecroft Hall. At Hawstead Lodge there is a large hill which takes you down to Pinford End. This was my half way point and I turned in 31.32.

Returning by the same route I took 30.52 though there are 2 large hills to climb the route is generally downhill on the return.

1pm 11 miles in 1 hr 32 mins 11 secsWeek to date mileage 22 milesMonth to date mileage 77Average weekly rate 30 milesAverage monthly rate 131Year to date 983Lifetime 10576I parked the car at Horringer Post Office car park besides St Leonards Church and headed into Ickworth park for my run. The park was busy with many visitors for the house and gardens. I ran past the National Trust lady in the hut collecting money from visitors in their cars.Past Ickworth House and St Mary’s Church and the Canal lake before heading up hill besides the White House. The path takes you into Downters Wood before emerging at the Armswater Cottages. There is then a fairly long stretch of open countryside which was sufficiently quiet for me to spot a fox.There is a fairly large farm on the edge of the village called Chevington Hall Farm. This is a moated farm and once stocked deer and was a favorite place for retiring abbots of St Edmund. I arrived into Chevington at the All Saints Church nearby.Chevington is the village of Ceofa’s people (Ekwall) and I would estimate as being less than a 1000 inhabitants. At the time of Domesday it was recorded as being 33.I headed firstly up the new Road as far as North Hill House before returning and then taking the Chedburgh road and running as far as Tan Office Green before returning back to Ickworth Park and Horringer.

I warmed up for 10 minutes before running to the start of this 1.5 mile route .This run takes you from the fields at Westley Bottom to the Spread Eagle Pub in Horringer Road. The route follows the course of the River Linnett and is mainly on grass and footpaths.

I ran one quicker interval and one easier paced run . My first interval was 12.19 (8.13)and the second a slower 12.57 (8.38) but both were reasonably slow.According to mapmyrun this is exactly 1.5 miles however you do have to cross 2-3 roads and there are a few turns and many dog walkers use this path so you have to keep an eye out for what might come towards you and whats on the ground .